A Methodological Analysis of the Inconsistency of Response to Test Items

WHILE the consistency of psychological test scores in terms of reliability has been extensively studied, little research has been concerned with the consistency of response to separate test items. Consistency in the latter sense means responding to an item in the same way on different administrations of a test. Consideration of this factor raises certain questions. Can a test result for an extremely inconsistent individual be interpreted in the same way as a test score for an individual whose responses are consistent? Is a person who is inconsistent on one kind of test inconsistent on other tests? What personal behavioral factors and factors of the test situation influence inconsistency of response? If certain individuals are usually inconsistent and if this behavior is a function of certain known factors, may not this be of significance in test construction and interpretation? With such an orientation the writer set out to investigate the relationship of inconsistency of response to other behavioral factors. Previous studies indicated that consistency was related to intelligence and personality. The resuIts of the present study led to conclusions which questioned the interpretations of the previous investigations on methodological grounds.